Intervening in Gender-Based Violence

Empowerment self-defence training is a preventative intervention for violence against women and girls.  It is distinctive for presenting a gender analysis of violence alongside imparting skills to better pre-empt and ward off attacks.  

Unlike other interventions there is good evidence that participation in empowerment self-defence classes reduces risk of future assaults and increases feelings of self-confidence.

In this talk, I will present a feminist research project that investigates what happens in the classes in order to further advance knowledge about violent encounters and how they can be interrupted.  

The research includes a video study of ten classes delivered by Kia Haumaru, a feminist, bi-cultural, non-governmental organisation in Aotearoa, New Zealand. The data are examined using conversation analysis. The findings establish various responses to violence are possible that may alter the progression of violent encounters in different ways.  

The results are used to further develop a consideration of the sequential organisation of violent actions and the socially constituted forces shaping their realisation.

About the speaker: Ann Weatherall conducts research from discursive and feminist perspectives to advance knowledge on psychological topics and concerns such as age, agency, gender, identity and emotion.  

She has published widely showing the micro-analysis of naturally occurring talk can offer novel perspectives on affective, cognitive and sensorial matters. Her recent work has shown a remarkable orderliness in the tiny details of the moment-by-moment unfolding of phenomena including crying and pain.  

The settings she has examined include various telephone helplines, clinical interactions and educational situations. Her current projects apply a conversation analytic approach to address the pervasive problem of gendered violence.

In 2021 Ann Weatherall moved to the United Kingdom from New Zealand, where she had worked all of her life, to be closer to her international scholarly communities. She is now Professor and Head of School at the University of Bedfordshire.